Agenda - Engaging Employees Conference Agenda

High-Impact, Forward Thinking & Motivational Employee Experiences & Engagement Strategies In The New World Of Work

Create Engaged Teams & Supportive Cultures Whether Face-To-Face, Remote Working Or Offline ∙ Safeguard Mental Health & Wellbeing ∙ Champion Inclusion With Practical EDI Strategies ∙ Attract, Engage & Retain The Top Talent In The Northern With Tailored Internal Comms ∙ Upskill Leaders & Managers ∙ Tech, AI & Automation Implementation With Results ∙ Measure Performance & Turn Insights Into Action

12th October 2023, Manchester

08.30 – 09.00 Registration, Informal Networking & GIC Welcome

09.00 – 09.10 Morning Chair’s Opening Remarks

May Holloway, Head Of Internal Communications, British Transport Police

Spotlight Session: Culture

09.10 – 09.30

Eleanor Gooding, People & Culture Director, Boost Drinks

Hybrid & Flexible Cultures

09.30 – 10.00 Powerful Engagement Strategies For All: Boost Employee Satisfaction, Colleague Interaction & Business Performance With Powerful, Yet Adaptable Strategies Which Engage Remote, Deskless & Offline Workforces & Strengthen Hybrid & Flexible Working Cultures

Reassess the purpose of the “workplace” to maximise hybrid working models, minimise disruption to employees and increase responsiveness and engagement even when remote
Retain and engage valuable staff with proven flexible practices to guarantee high levels of productivity, wellbeing and performance
How can organisations leverage hybrid models to be more inclusive and engaging? Consider the needs of employees outside their jobs to develop flexible structures that improve work-life balance for enhanced employee engagement and job satisfaction
Which workplace incentives are attracting staff back to the physical workspace for meaningful team experiences which drive performance and progression?
Strike the balance between hybrid structures and empowering colleagues; Expert insights around balancing organisational goals with employee desires for flexibility to guarantee success and sky-high engagement

Katie Shaw, Head of People, Marks & Spencer

Matthew Davis, Business School Director of Culture & Values, University of Leeds

Michelle Johnson, Head of Service Performance & Improvement, TalkTalk

Tom Smith, Internal Communications & Engagement Adviser, Oxfam GB

10.00 – 10.30 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner

Recruit & Retain Star Talent

10.30 – 10.50 Stand Out As A Northern Employer Of Choice! Attract New & Local Talent, Drive Loyalty & Enhance Company Culture Through A Solid & Positive Employer Brand Which Prioritises L&D, Inclusion & Support

Elevate and strengthen your talent and corporate branding strategies to win and keep more workers in the competitive race for talent and retention in 2023
Develop L&D programmes which proactively address skills gaps and power employee attraction and retention
Which companywide initiatives and resources are positively impacting workplace culture and the overall employee experience?
How can people managers raise their duty of care to employees? Expand employee assistance programs and training to recognise health and wellbeing issues and prove your commitment to employees for long-term growth
In times of uncertainty, meaningfully reward and recognise employees that go that extra mile for continued support and loyalty!

10.50 – 11.20 Morning Refreshment Break & Informal Networking

Measure Performance & Success

11.20 – 11.40 Evaluate Employee Experience & Meaningfully Measure Performance To Drive Business Decision-Making & Employee Engagement Strategies Forward For Long-Term Growth In The New World Of Work

Fresh measurement strategies to capture company culture into tangible data for engagement strategies which truly reflect the employee voice
Net promoter scores, surveys, reports…which measurement tools give you meaningful metrics around how employees are truly committed to your organisation?
Establish clear benchmarks of how you plan to improve and capture data in a way that you can feed it back to employees for outstanding progress and employee culture
Encourage candid feedback with open-ended responses to ensure everyone has equal voice and opportunity to share their organisational experiences
Reduce absenteeism through innovative interactive measurement tools that produce real-time feedback for active change and quick-to-deploy improvements
Optimise measurement and colleague feedback to review, improve and add value to hybrid and flexible models for long-term success and employee satisfaction

Charles Howell-Morley, Head of Digital Technology Performance & Commercial, The Co-op Group

Motivational Leaders & Managers

11.40 – 12.20 Empower Your Leaders & Managers To Really Champion Engagement! Expand Education & Support Channels To Help Managers Understand What They & Their Workforce Need To Thrive In The Modern Workplace

What kind of training and emotional support do leaders and managers need in today’s new world of work to ensure that comfortable conversations can be had (even while remote), so employees are motivated and supported wherever they are?
Improve employee satisfaction and business outcomes through ‘safe spaces’ so managers are emotionally equipped to cope with challenging conversations
Even though hybrid work is still in full swing how can leaders and managers encourage in-person touch bases to increase engagement, performance and employee trust?
How can organisations ensure they are listening and supporting managers? Future-proofed leadership strategies that will drive success and employee experience

11.40 – 12.00 Sophie Parsell, Head of People Business Partnering, British Red Cross

12.00 – 12.20 Jane Garnsey, People Operations & Internal Communications Director, TalkTalk

12.20 – 12.50 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner

Multichannel Communications & Collaborations

12.50 – 13.10 Power & Prove IC Teams Ability To Influence Culture & Foster A Great Employee Experience Through Relevant & Meaningful Comms Which Guarantee Impact, Build Resilience & Engage Staff Even In Times Of Uncertainty & Financial Crisis

How can digital teams get a seat at the top table with HR boards through interactive and meaningful messaging?
Prove value of digital interventions to key stakeholders and decision makers for winning employee strategies and future comms
Ensure your comms deliver equitable and meaningful impact to distributed, remote and deskless workforces so ALL members feel part of a connected team for increased morale and strengthened team collaboration
Proactively and effectively respond to change and uncertainty! Optimise lessons learned from Covid-19 to proactively protect your workforce through clear communications that support workers in future crises for high levels of security, confidence and trust
Transparent, clear and early communications will build confidence in your workforce! Improve colleague experience and drive engagement through traditional and non-traditional comms

Riffat Ahmed, Head of People Technology & Digital, Bupa

Andrew Webb, Digital People Experience Manager, Bupa

13.10 – 13.40 Lunch & Informal Networking For Speakers, Delegates & Partners

13.40 – 14.10 Delegate Discussion

A. Rewards & Benefits

Helen Hicks, Colleague Experience Manager, The Co-op Group

14.10 -14.20 Afternoon Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks

Proactive Staff Network Leaders & Shakers

14.20 – 14.50 Connect Colleagues & Strengthen Company Culture Through Affinity Networks & EDI Champions Which Power Long-Lasting Employee Change & Inclusion

Widen your support offering to neurodiverse and protected employees to push EDI missions further, achieving true equity and greater fairness across your EDI goals
Curate training programmes that are diverse, inclusive and welcoming to all employees
Truly listen and respond to your employees by actioning diverse community groups that adequately reflect employee feedback initiatives for more impactful engagement
Develop EDI communities and advocates into a resourceful tool for driving inclusion and belonging
Become a true ally of employee ambassadors, recognising them as champions for influencing change and strengthening your workforce
Ensure those that are neurodiverse are fairly supported and actively engaged with the wider workforce. Employ tasks that achieve ultimate engagement and encourage winning performances from wholly motivated employees

Naheed Nazir, Director Equality Diversity and Inclusion, The Manchester Metropolitan University

Heather Palmer, Senior Human Resources Business Partner – Culture Employee Relations & Policy, BBC

Rachel Akili, Group Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Manchester Airport Group (MAG)

Douglas Tilston, Head of People Analytics, Reckitt

Employee Health & Wellness

14.50 – 15.10 Promote A Culture Of Wellness Which Prioritises Health, Support & Happiness To Positively Impact Morale, Wellbeing & Employee Engagement

Build stronger relationships with employees and cut down on feelings of isolation or loneliness through health and wellbeing initiatives for long-term support
Alleviate stress, burnout and anxiety by effectively promoting a culture of wellness
Use employee feedback and listening tools to see which trends are driving satisfaction and analyse how employees truly feel about their work and who they work with
Lead by example and support a healthy work-life balance with positive yet clear working expectations
Protect the psychological safety of staff through deeply analysing the behavioural and neuroscience trends of your workforce to design meaningful wellness programs that win every time
Determine which macro and micro level intervention best suits your workforce for a more tailored approach that will significantly impact psychological wellbeing

Natasha Whitehurst, Global Inclusion Lead, Rolls-Royce

Meaningful Tech & Tools

PANEL Q&A

15.10 – 15.30 New & Innovative Ways To Incorporate Cutting-Edge Tech & Tools With The Employee Experience & Employee Satisfaction For Organisational Success

Leverage cutting-edge tech and tools to enhance employee engagement and accelerate workforce efficiencies
ML and AI will represent more opportunities for employee engagement in 2023! How can HR departments use more analytics-driven decisions to power experiences?
ML can help drive employee performance and map new employee career paths; innovative opportunities that encourage career progression
Lose personal bias from recruitment: machine learning evaluates performance data without the risk of bias often associated with interpersonal human relationships
With the influx of AI and ML in the workplace, optimise these new technologies to boost communication in the workplace and impact employee engagement

15.30 – 16.00 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner

16.00 – 16.30 Afternoon Refreshment Break & Informal Networking

Career Growth: Development & Appreciation

16.30 – 16.50 Here For A Good Time AND A Long Time? From Supporting Learning & Development To Career Progression & Rewards & Recognition, Create Companies Where People Can See Their Future!

Demonstrate your commitment to your teams and enhance employee experience with low-cost development programmes to increase motivation, skillsets and innovation
Why would people stay if they can’t see their future with you? Clearly outline potential progression paths, goals and targets so individuals can picture a future with your company
You’ve provided the resources, but how to encourage uptake? Foster self-starting behaviours that light the fire and increase employee appetite for development
What rewards and recognition approaches resonate most with your teams? From big shows to small tokens, how can you demonstrate appreciation for hard work and good results?

Amy Derbyshire, People Director – Defence, Rolls-Royce

Employee Engagement & Experience – Panel

16.50 – 17.20 Winning Engagement & Experience Strategies Throughout The End-To-End Employee Lifecycle To Showcase Your Organisation As A Northern Employee Powerhouse With Positive Cultures & Amazing Performance During Times of Uncertainty & Change

Refreshed strategies to optimise engagement with employee feedback initiatives, leverage data for insightful, actionable workforce engagement strategies
Put employee wellness at the heart of career development; place mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of internal cultures and champion happiness and inclusivity
Engaging all internal stakeholders to optimise employee engagement initiatives and embed them as natural components of employee experiences throughout an individuals career development

Larissa Shepherd, Head of Colleague Experience, Policy, Wellbeing & Benefits, The Co-op Group

Hannah Lyons, Group Communications, Culture and Engagement Manager, TalkTalk

Heather Palmer, Senior Human Resources Business Partner – Culture Employee Relations & Policy, BBC

17.20 Afternoon Chair’s Closing Remarks & Official Close of Conference

Can You Help People & Engagement Leaders Power Future Employee Experiences & Organisational Development?

This is a rare opportunity for tailored conversations and in-depth discussions. Discover how you can be a part of this exciting conference and get your expertise in front of your target audience.

For more information on how to get involved at our Engaging Employees Conference, please call +44 (0)20 3479 2299 or email partner@engagingemployeesconference.com

A One-Day, Industry-Led Conference & Networking Exhibition, Manchester, 12th October 2023

Contact Us |

+44 (0)20 3479 2299

Can You Help People & Engagement Leaders Power Future Employee Experiences & Organisational Development?

Please check the Engaging Employee Experiences Conference – Adapt, Engage, Connect website regularly for programme updates and confirmed speakers. For more information or to get involved, please call 44 (0)20 3479 2299 or email us at info@engagingemployeesconference.com.